Various methods and apparatus for packaging articles in plastic bags are available today or have been suggested in the past. In one packaging method, the bags form part of a continuous plastic web. Each bag is connected to an adjacent bag along a line of weakness. Typically, the bags define an opening on one face through which the bag is loaded.
In early bagging machines, an operator manually loaded the product into the bag and the bag was pulled downwardly to position the next bag at the loading station. The loaded bag was then manually severed from the web.
Machines and methods for automatically loading a chain of interconnected plastic bags have been developed or have been suggested by the prior art. In general, these machines include a mechanism for sequentially feeding a lead bag to a loading station; a mechanism for expanding the mouth of the bag and maintaining it in the expanded condition during a loading operation; and, a mechanism for severing the loaded bag from the chain. If desired, the bag is sealed before severing to form a package. After the loaded bag is severed, the packaging sequence begins again with the next bag.
The individual bags are usually joined to the chain or web by a line of weakness generally formed by a plurality of perforations. After the bag is loaded, it is severed from the web along the perforations. Various mechanisms for automatically severing the loaded bag from the web have been developed or suggested.